Food has become more than nourishment – it reflects our beliefs about sustainability, our feelings and memories. With the average person being three generations removed from the farm, it’s not surprising that there’s growing interest in the farm to table movement.

One of the best things about being a professional athlete is that we can take so many of the lessons we’ve learned from our coaches throughout the years and pay it forward to younger players that are trying to follow in our footsteps.

As you continue your athletic endeavors, “leveling up” takes a lot of work and discipline. Whatever sport you’re playing, you have to stay focused on those skills and be prepared to take advantage when a door opens for you.

I just got back from the land of cheese – The Netherlands! My entire visit was dairy heaven. We went to a dairy farm that made their own cheeses, the Amsterdam Cheese Museum, and took several cheese and wine pairing classes.

Most kids grow up playing in their backyard or at the park. But for dairy farm kids, the whole farm is their playground! About 97 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned, and farm families are raising the next generation to pass along the farming way of life.

Brought to you by Dairy MAX, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Dairy Council, funded by dairy farming families across Colorado, southwest Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, western Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. For more dairy insights and programs tailored specifically for schools, nutrition professionals and dairy farmers, visit our corporate web headquarters, DairyMAX.org.